Man dies in lawn mower accident

Thursday

May 1, 2014 at 5:28 PM

THOMASVILLE | A man died Thursday after he was pinned underneath his lawn mower at a residence on Greentree Road.

BY DARRICK IGNASIAKThe Dispatch

THOMASVILLE | A man died Thursday after he was pinned underneath his lawn mower at a residence on Greentree Road.Scott Dunlap died as a result of an accident when he was mowing the lawn and his riding mower went over a cliff and flipped over into a creek, said Lt. Kevin Johnson of the Davidson County Sheriff’s Office. The lieutenant, who said the deceased was approximately 73 years old, explained Dunlap got to close to the creek and the riding lawn mower flipped over on top of him. Johnson said the man suffocated and no foul play was involved.Firefighters with the Pilot Fire Department were dispatched to the incident at the residence at 4:15 p.m., said Josh Myers, shift supervisor with Davidson County 911. Chief Donald Craft and his Pilot firefighters rushed to the scene, and the chief confirmed shortly thereafter the man died as a result of the accident.The chief said the lawn mower was still on Dunlap when firefighters arrived.James Kepley, a neighbor, said Dunlap's wife notified Davidson County 911 of the accident. Kepley saw neighbors running down a hill in an attempt to rescue Dunlap. He said Dunlap had just bought the lawn mower and was using it for the first time. Kepley said he and his neighbor were “pretty close.” Dunlap was retired from the upholstery business.“It's going to be hard to go out and not see him anymore,” Kepley said, adding Dunlap was a member of Rich Fork Baptist Church.Dunlap's wife was escorted into her home and comforted. Kepley said the wife and her husband were very close. He said they were always together.Darrick Ignasiak can be reached at 249-3981, ext. 217, or darrick.ignasiak@the-dispatch.com. Follow Darrick on Twitter: @ DispatchDarrick